Disease Focus: Bone Conditions

The human body is kind of like a skyscraper, in the sense that it has an unseen infrastructure. Just like tall buildings have steel skeletons, humans have bones. Now I know this isn't news to anyone, but my point is that our bones are extremely important. If the infrastructure of a building is bad, the building isn't going to last, and the same is true for that human body. So in this post I'm going to talk about a couple different bone conditions, as well as doctors recommendations on how to strengthen and maintain healthy bones.

The first condition I think of when I think of "bone disease" is osteoporosis. Lets break down the word itself, because like many things in the medical field, the name will usually tell us exactly what the given word is. Osteo is a medical term for bone, hence the reason bone cells are called osteons (medical nomenclature seriously lacks creativity). The suffix -osis means "condition", so now we've confirmed what we already knew, that it's a bone condition. Finally we get to poro, which in Greek means "porous" or "passage", and it maintains that definition in English. So osteoporosis is basically a condition that causes bones to be exceptionally brittle due to them becoming porous. Some common risk factors include old age, smoking, irregular hormone levels, and low body weight. Also, females are more prone than males. Treatment includes specialized medication, calcium and vitamin D supplements, and exercise. Bottom line, it's a fairly common but also a very manageable condition. 

This next condition however is exceptionally rare, and quite difficult to manage and treat. It is called osteogenesis imperfecta. So just like last time, let's break down the words. We already know osteo means bone, genesis as you can probably guess, means production/creation, and finally imperfecta means wrong or imperfect. So, osteogenesis imperfecta is a condition in which bones are created incorrectly, making them extreme;y brittle. This condition is actually genetic, so anyone afflicted with it has it for the duration of their life. There are multiple types of this disease, some more severe than others. For example, Type I is the most common, and patients can usually live a fulfilling, albeit shortened life. Type II on the other hand is the most severe, usually resulting in death in infancy. Currently there is no cure, and treatment is on a patient to patient basis aimed at managing symptoms, maximizing mobility, and developing optimal bone mass. 

So putting those things aside, what can you do to take care of your bones? Well there's actually plenty we can do to ensure we develop and maintain healthy bones, a few examples are: consume plenty of calcium, potassium, and vitamin D, exercise regularly, limit caffeine and alcohol consumption, and reduce/quit smoking. Your bones are important guys, take care of them!

Sources:

http://www.webmd.com/osteoporosis/

http://www.oif.org/site/PageServer?pagename=fastfacts

http://greatist.com/health/build-healthy-strong-bones

Top Ten: Most Common Sports Injuries

We all know an athlete, or we are athletes ourselves. So we all know how often and how severe injuries can be. It can be as simple as soreness, or as serious as a brain injury. Regardless, here are the top ten most common injuries that occur in sports.

1. Patellofemoral Syndrome
2. Shoulder Injury
3. Tennis or Golf Elbow
4. Hamstring Strain
5. Sciatica 
6. Shin Splints
7. Groin Pull
8. Concussion
9. ACL Tear
10. Hip Flexor Strain

https://www.unitypoint.org/livewell/article.aspx?id=591d8cf1-1ee5-4cb3-b662-a5f21f6f13bc

Just To Recap

With all the diseases and disorders in the world that society is still desperately trying to find treatments for, it’s easy to think that we haven’t come a long way in the medical field. While it is true that we still have a long way to go, make no mistake. We have made tremendous medical advancements to date.

Let’s go back to the Medieval Era. Not really because that would be terrifying, but let’s talk about it. To be honest, it wasn’t as horrible as most people think it was. They tried you know, they worked with what they had. Unfortunately what they had was limited resources, extremely limited knowledge, and on average only about thirty years to live. The combination of these factors led to very robust medical practices. For example, a common treatment for any kind of ailment pertaining to the head (such as epilepsy, migraines, and even mental illnesses) was to literally to bore a hole in it. Shockingly enough, exposing the brain in such a way often led to fatal infections. Moral of the story: Don’t complain of a headache. Other strange practices included leeching and bloodletting, which were done regularly because they were thought to cleanse the body and keep a person healthy. Needless to say, we have the luxury today of simply taking some Advil and going for a jog.

In more recent centuries, more discoveries, treatments, and even preventative measures have been made. Which brings us to our next extremely overlooked, but incredibly important aspect of modern medicine- vaccines. Whether you like them or not, and whether you choose to get them or not is up to you. But just the concept of them is truly amazing. To think that we have harnessed the power and viciousness of a disease, and turned it into a way of immunizing ourselves to that disease is absolutely profound. What’s even more profound is that we have actually been able to eradicate some diseases using this breakthrough, like polio in the United States. However, there is only one disease that has been eradicated worldwide. That disease is smallpox, and its vaccine was the first one ever created, by a British man named Edward Jenner in 1796. Since his revolutionary invention, we have created vaccines for a slew of diseases, ranging all the way from the flu to certain forms of cancer. Each year new vaccines are developed, some for specific regions of certain countries, and some for use universally.

In even more recent centuries, we’ve continued to make significant developments in the field of medicine. Speaking of which, happy birthday anesthesia! On this day in 1846, the first successful surgical procedure was performed with anesthesia. Also, shout out to Boston, which is where the procedure took place (Massachusetts General Hospital to be exact). But anyways, think about that. That was only 170 years ago people. Can you imagine undergoing a surgical procedure without anesthesia? I would advise you not to, because it may give you nightmares. However, it really did happen. Everything from simply removing a tooth to removing a limb was done while the patient was awake and aware prior to 1846. Yikes. Furthermore, the system that is still in use today, known as the “non-traumatic pharyngeal airway”, was introduced in 1933. That was only 83 years ago! I know for us young people, that seems like a long time. But there are people that witnessed this breakthrough firsthand that are still alive today!

That is just a short list of the many, and I mean many, medical developments that society today (and especially in the US) takes for granted. Developments that once revolutionized medicine now seem mundane. So I figured it would be worth the time to do a little introduction, and give credit where it’s due, before moving on to the more recent advancements in the field of medicine.

Daniel Kraft Ted Talk

In this Ted Talk, Daniel Kraft talks about the future of medicine with new and improving capabilities of technology. 

Top Eight: Respiratory Diseases

Well, I searched top ten respiratory diseases, but Google only gave me eight. So here it goes.

Respiratory problems are very common in the United States. Millions of people suffer from genetic or environmentally developed respiratory conditions. The most common cause of these conditions is cigarette smoking.

1. Asthma 
2. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
3. Bronchitis
4. Emphysema
5. Lung Cancer
6. Cystic Fibrosis
7. Pneumonia
8. Allergies

https://www.unitypoint.org/desmoines/article.aspx?id=2448b930-1451-43e4-8634-c0c16707c749

Video: 10 Worst Medical Treatments Ever

Disclaimer: If you get grossed out easily, don't watch this video...

Video: Top 10 Unbelievable Recent Medical Discoveries

Top Ten: Allergies

Allergies are super common, and super annoying. I feel bad for anyone who has them, fortunately I never have. But, I've had the pleasure of having asthma since I was very young so I guess it evens out. Anyways, below I'm going to leave links to a list of the top ten allergies people have, and additional information about them.

Top Ten:
http://www.activebeat.com/your-health/women/10-most-common-allergies-in-adults/

Additional Info:
https://www.foodallergy.org/allergens
http://www.webmd.com/allergies/ss/slideshow-common-allergy-triggers
http://acaai.org/allergies/types

Top Ten: Genetic Diseases

Maybe I'm weird, but I think genetic diseases are really cool. Some of them are kind of funny, like male pattern baldness, which coincidentally is passed down by the mother. Others however are literally a death sentence, such as Huntington's Disease, which is an autosomal dominant disorder (meaning it's carried on the dominant allele). But rather than talk about just one or two like I do on my Disease Focus posts, I'm going to attach a link to a list of ten common genetic diseases, and some various other links containing information about them, and you guys can fell free to browse at you =r leisure.

Top Ten:
http://positivemed.com/2014/03/24/10-common-genetic-disorders/

Additional Info: https:
//www.genome.gov/10001204/
https://medlineplus.gov/geneticdisorders.html
https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/

Top Ten: Diseases in Developing Countries

With the lack of resources and access to things such as clean water, or medicine, it's easy to see why developing countries have higher rates of fatal diseases than developed countries. It is extremely sad that they have to face these living conditions, and live with the fear that they might come down with a fatal disease.  Here are the top ten causes of death in developing countries.

	Disease	Annual mortality rate	Percent of all deaths
1.	Ischaemic heart disease	7.25 million	12.8%
2.	Cerebrovascular disease	6.15 million	10.8
3.	Lower respiratory infections	3.46 million	6.1
4.	Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease	3.28 million	5.8
5.	Diarrhoeal diseases	2.46 million	4.3
6.	HIV/AIDS	1.78 million	3.1
7.	Trachea, bronchus, lung cancers	1.39 million	2.4
8.	Tuberculosis	1.34 million	2.4
9.	Diabetes mellitus	1.26 million	2.2
10.	Hypertensive heart disease	1.15 million	2.0

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0933314.html

Courtney Griffins Ted Talk

This Ted Talk by Courtney Griffins goes along with the post I made about epigenetics. I think it's really fascinating and I hope you guys do too.

Disease Focus: Brain Conditions

Perhaps some of the most serious injuries or disorders that a person can suffer from are those that affect the brain. The brain controls everything we do. Every move we make, every emotion we feel, every thought we have. So when the brain is damaged, it can have a severe impact on a person's life. For examples, I will talk about concussions and epilepsy.

We all know someone who has suffered from a concussion. They are extremely common, especially among athletes. While they may seem like no big deal, they are actually quite serious. A concussion is caused by a blow to the head, or violent shaking of the head and body. Symptoms can include headaches, neck pain, nausea, ringing in the ears, dizziness, tiredness, and trouble concentrating. It is extremely important to rest after suffering a concussion. It is the best possible treatment there is, which is why athletes are not allowed to participate in sports until after their symptoms are gone. While the brain will eventually heal, brain damage is harmful no matter the severity, so it is very important to wear protective gear while participating in sports.

Another serious type of brain condition is epilepsy. It is a neurological condition in which nerve cell activity in the brain is disturbed, causing seizures. It can be caused by illness, brain injury, or abnormal brain development. While not always caused by a trauma, it is still a very severe brain condition and can cause a lot of problems for those who suffer from it. Most people with epilepsy can take anti-seizure medications, but they are not always effective. In some cases, surgery can be used to repair the brain.

https://medlineplus.gov/epilepsy.html#cat51
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/concussion/basics/treatment/con-20019272

Epigenetics: How The Life We Lead Changes Our Genes

Most of us probably know that our DNA is the foundation of who we are and there is nothing we can do to change it. Or is there? Well, scientists have made some pretty interesting discoveries about that. It turns out, our lifestyle can actually affect our genes. The study of these findings is known as epigenetics (literally meaning above genetics). Just to clarify, our DNA isn't actually changing, meaning the sequence of bases (A,C,G, and T) remains the same. But, our lifestyle can either trigger or suppress genes we already have. And once those genes are activated or deactivated, they can't be reversed to their original state. The implications of this are enormous. This mean that your lifestyle will affect our children, because of the genes you manipulate and pass on to them. It means your parents lifestyle has affected you, and you didn't even know (isn't that a scary thought).  But in all seriousness, it is pretty cool to think about, and once again the possibilities it hold are truly endless. 

For more information, check out the following links:

http://www.whatisepigenetics.com/fundamentals/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1392256/

http://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/epigenetic-influences-and-disease-895

Mina Bissell Ted Talk

Mina Bissell has been researching cancer cells tirelessly for decades, and she discovered something that could drastically change the way we view and treat cancer. In short, she has been researching the possibility that a cancerous cell may or may not become a tumor depending on its microenvironment.

Anthony Atala Ted Talk

This Ted Talk goes hand in hand with Susan Lim's. Using organic methods of replacing and repairing organs combined with the advances of biomedical engineering, Dr. Atala describes his potential solution to solving the organ shortage and transplant complications. In this case, customized organs created from the cells of the patient. It states at one point in the video the printed organs they've developed are still years away from clinical use. However, this video was made in 2011. It doesn't seem like that long, but six years is quite a lot when it comes to research and development. There have already been a number of successful procedures done using technology like this. Granted, the organs they've replaced are the ones that are typically less complex, like the bladder rather than the heart. But nonetheless it shows great promise in the future of the medical possibilities.

Disease Focus: Cancer

Overview, most common types

Perhaps one of the first things we think of a when we hear the word "disease" is cancer. Almost everyone knows someone whose been diagnosed with it. Cancer can be present anywhere in the human body. It occurs when new cells are formed, but old ones are not dying. These excess cells can create masses called tumors. Cancerous tumors are considered malignant, which means that their cells can also invade nearby tissue, and spread the cancer. Some of the most common forms of cancer are breast cancer, lung cancer, skin cancer.

Breast cancer is most often found in women, but it can also occur in men. It is the second leading cause of cancer death in women. The majority of the time, the cancer begins in the ducts that carry milk to the nipples. There are also other types of breast cancers, but they are far less common. Most breast cancers also produce a tumor, or a lump, in the breast, yet not all of them do. While most breast cancers cause these lumps, most lumps in breasts are benign, but it is still always important to have any lumps checked out by a doctor.

There are three different types of lung cancers. Non-small cell lung cancer, small cell lung cancer, and a lung carcinoid tumor. The most common of these is non-small cell lung cancer, so that is the type I will discuss. This type is responsible for 80-85% of lung cancers. It can be found in many parts of the lungs including the cells that normally secrete mucus, bronchi, and airways. Lung cancer is most commonly found in current or former smokers.

One of the most dangerous types of skin cancer is melanoma skin cancer. It begins in the melanocytes, a layer of the skin responsible for pigment. Melanomas are most likely to form on the chest or back in men, and on the legs of women. However, they can form anywhere on the body. While melanoma is less common than other types of skin cancer, it is more dangerous because it is more likely to spread to other parts of the body, especially if it is not caught early. Some of the most common causes of this cancer are exposure to ultraviolet light, moles, fair skin, and a weakened immune system.



http://www.cancer.org/cancer/

Richard Resnick Ted Talk

This Ted Talk goes along with the post I made about the human genome. Resnick talks in more detail about how the mapping of an individual's genome can reveal propensities to certain diseases, specialized treatments for conditions, and even distant chromosomal relatives. It is truly awe inspiring to consider that the human genome could open the door to incredible discoveries in the world of medicine.

Disease Focus: Skin Conditions

Your skin is the largest organ you have. So, it seems fair to say that skin conditions should never be taken lightly. Now there are plenty of them that are relatively harmless, I'll admit that. But there are tons others that are deadly, and if left untreated can ultimately be fatal. So, in this post I'm going to cover two common skin conditions that are incredibly deadly, but are caused by seemingly mundane things.

The first skin condition I want to discuss is necrotizing fasciitis. It's one of those that you can tell is bad just by the sound of it. Even if that weren't the case, it's also referred to simply as flesh eating bacteria, so that's a pretty good indication that it's a serious condition. As its common name states, necrotizing fasciitis is an infection caused by bacteria that attacks and destroys skin, fat, and muscle tissue at an incredibly fast rate. The bacteria enters the skin most often through a cut, burn, or insect bite. Although it is a rare condition, 25% of cases result in death. So how is it treated? Well that is completely dependent on how early the infection is caught. If detected early enough, treatment can be as simple as standard antibiotics. However if the infection has progressed far enough, amputation may be the only course of action. 

The next condition I want to talk about, rather than being a bacterial infection (like the previous one), it's actually a complication of such infections. Toxic Shock Syndrome, or TSS for short, is a rare condition that can occur suddenly after an infection. It can quickly cause serious harm to major organs, including the lungs, kidneys, and liver. TSS is caused by the same bacteria that causes strep throat and staph infections, which are both fairly common. However on rare occasions these bacteria can enter the blood stream and become very deadly. Treatment includes antibiotics for the bacteria and also specialized treatment for the complications of the various organs. Anyways, the point I want to make is, don't write off something unusual because you think its harmless or you don't want to seem like you're overreacting. Sure, most of the time it probably will be nothing. But on the off chance it's not, early detection could save your life. 

Side note, I would strongly recommend you don't google images of necrotizing fasciitis, like I did for this post, unless you have a very strong stomach.

The Genome Project

The Human Genome Project is the collaborative research program whose goal was the understanding and mapping of the collection of all genes in a human body, also known as a genome. It all started in 1911 when Alfred Sturtevant realized that in order to organize his data on fruit fly's mutations, he had to be able to map the locations of its genes. Researchers soon realized they could create the same sort of map for human genes. The first draft of the human genome was published in 2001 by the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium. The ultimate product of the project has been a resource of detailed information about the structure, organization, and function of the complete set of human genes.

Discoveries made by the Human Genome Project have only created more efforts to characterize entire genomes of other organisms often used in biological research, such as mice, fruit flies, and flatworms. These efforts are highly supported because of the similarities between these organisms genes and those of humans. The identification of the sequence or function of a gene in one of these organisms has the potential to explain the homologous gene in a human being, or another organism. If completed correctly, Francis Collins, the director of NHGRI says about a genome, "It's a history book - a narrative of the journey of our species through time. It's a shop manual, with an incredibly detailed blueprint for building every human cell. And it's a transformative textbook of medicine, with insights that will give health care providers immense new powers to treat, prevent and cure disease."


https://www.genome.gov/12011238/an-overview-of-the-human-genome-project/

Ben Goldacre Ted Talk

This Ted Talk by Ben Golacre isn't about any specific medical advancement, disease, or any of the other things I've covered so far on this blog. Rather, it's about the importance of recognizing good science from bad science. What does that mean? It means not being fooled by fictitious claims, inaccurate data, and exaggerated experimental results. This is particularly important in the context of pharmaceutical companies promoting new drugs, but the concept of being able to identify falsehoods extends far beyond the confines of science. It affects many other aspects of our lives, and we are surrounded by it on a daily basis. Anyways, Goldacre does a wonderful job not only of illustrating and explaining his points, but also supporting them with compelling evidence.

The New Frontier: Biomedical Engineering

 

Recently I posted a Ted Talk about a man named Tal Golesworthy, a boiler engineer who devised an alternative treatment for his Marfan's syndrome (a genetic heart condition). His story inspired me to look into some of the other innovations in the biomedical engineering field that were made in the first decade of the 21st century. This list comes from a website called Biomedikal.in, and I will provide the link at the conclusion of this post so that you can find any additional information you might be interested in.

1. AbioCor Artificial Heart- 2001

2. Bio-Artificial Liver- 2001

3. Camera Pill- 2008

4. Bionic Contact Lens- 2008

5. iLIMB Bionic Hand- 2007

6. Robots Helping Perform Surgeries- 2010

7. Mind-Reading Device- 2006

8. Elekta Axesse- 2007

9. Berkeley Bionics eLEGS Exoskeleton- 2010

10. EyeWriter- 2003

Link to website: http://biomedikal.in/2011/07/top-10-biomedical-engineering-innovations-in-last-decade/





Disease Focus: Heart Conditions

So I'm sure we've all heard that the leading cause of death in the United States is heart disease. But what exactly does that mean? Most of us probably just equate it with heart attacks and don't give it any more thought than that. While that is one type of heart disease, there are many others, and many causes of each. The most common heart diseases are myocardial infarctions (fancy name for heart attack), ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes, congestive heart failure, and even arrhythmias. I know that's a long list, so I'm going to break each one down a bit.

Heart attacks. I bet we all know someone whose had one. Some of them are relatively benign, more frightening than they are deadly. Others can be catastrophic and potentially fatal. In either case, the cause is the same. That cause is atherosclerosis, which is just a fancy word for plaque build up. And no, I'm not talking about the kind the dentists yell at you about. I'm talking about the kind that builds up in your arteries and narrows your blood vessels, restricting blood flow to and from the heart. This plaque is made of cholesterol, fatty substances, cellular waste products, calcium, and fibrin (a blood clotting agent). So how do we prevent plaque build up? Usually it's as simple as medication and lifestyles changes, also known as diet and exercise. The other common cause of heart attacks is blood clots, but again medication and lifestyle changes are the prescribed treatment.

Next on our lovely little list is strokes. There are two primary types of strokes, ischemic and hemorrhagic. Ischemic strokes are more common, and occur when a blood vessel that feeds the brain is blocked, usually by a clot. A hemorrhagic stroke occurs when a blood vessel in the brain completely bursts. In both cases, blood, and therefore oxygen, is not reaching the brain, causing neurons to die. Some strokes are more severe than others, just like heart attacks. Sometimes, someone who suffers a stroke can make a full recovery. However other times, they can be left with permanent and debilitating brain damage. It really depends on how much damage was done to the neurons, and that depends mostly on where the blockage/burst occurred and how long the brain went without blood and oxygen.

Moving right along, we're on to congestive heart failure. A common misconception about CHF is that the heart stops beating entirely. It doesn't, it's just not pumping blood as efficiently as it should be. That means that even though the heart is technically still working, the body isn't getting enough blood and oxygen. I don't think I have to tell you that that's bad.

Last on the list is arrhythmias. We've probably all heard of these and most of them are pretty harmless. However, just like in congestive heart failure, sometimes arrhythmias can lead to the body not getting the blood and oxygen it needs. There are many types of arrhythmias but the two common ones that actually pose some danger are the following: tachycardia and bradycardia. They are polar opposites. Tachycardia is when the heart beats too fast, meaning upwards of 100 beats per minute. Bradycardia is when the heart beats too slow, usually less than 60 beats per minute. Fortunately, arrhythmias can usually be treated with medication, but sometimes require a pacemaker.

If you want to learn more about any of these conditions, you can go to the website I used to compile this list, and follow the links they provide.

Link: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Caregiver/Resources/WhatisCardiovascularDisease/What-is-Cardiovascular-Disease_UCM_301852_Article.jsp#.WHL3grYrLVo

Erica Frenkel Ted Talk

Erica Frenkel is a medical technologist who has concentrated her efforts on enabling safe surgeries across the globe. In particular, she explores the necessity of safe, reliable, and innovative anesthesia technology. In this Ted Talk, Frenkel explains the risks faced on a daily basis by hospitals in underdeveloped countries. I think this topic is extremely important because too often we take for granted all the incredible medical technology we have access to. In some parts of the world, there is no such thing as a "routine surgery". In some parts of the world, hospitals can experience power outages on a daily basis, sometimes in the middle of a surgical procedure. That means no lights, no power tools, and most importantly, no anesthesia. Needless to say that puts the patients life in grave jeopardy. So what have we done to try and fix this problem? Well I'll let Frenkel explain.

Progress in the Fight Against Alzheimer's

Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia. If you don’t know what dementia is, fear not. Dementia is the loss of cognitive functioning and behavioral abilities that interferes with daily life. Alzheimer’s in particular is a progressive brain disorder that degrades memory, behavior, reasoning, and motor skills. It is ultimately fatal. Currently, there are 46 million people living with dementia worldwide. That number has been predicted to rise to almost 132 million by 2050.

So, what causes Alzheimer’s? Basically, it’s the build up of abnormal proteins in the brain that rupture the connections between brain cells, causing them to die. This begins anywhere between 5-10 years prior to the onset of symptoms. Well, what causes that? Great question. We don’t know. It could be genetics, age, environmental factors, lifestyle choices, the list goes on. We’re still working on that one.  

On a more serious note, we’ve all heard the stories of loved ones, whether they’re our own or those of someone else, being affected by this heartbreaking disease. Scientists and researchers have been working for years to not only develop a treatment for Alzheimer’s, but also ways to detect it before the onset of symptoms. And just recently, they may have made some progress. A new imaging compound called Fluselenemyl has been shown to be 2-10 times more effective at detecting protein blocks in the brain than 3 other approved imaging agents. According to Vijay Sharma, a professor of radiology, neurology, and biomedical engineering, “Fluselenemyl is both more sensitive and likely more specific than current agents.”  This means it may be able to detect the changes of the brain associated with Alzheimer’s disease earlier than ever before. Why is this important? So far, most of the treatments we have for Alzheimer’s may only be effective in the early, or better yet, preclinical (meaning before the onset of symptoms) stages of the disease. Heir go, the earlier we can detect Alzheimer's, the better chance there is of being able to effectively treat it. Keep in mind, by treat, I mean the symptoms, which can improve and possibly prolong the patients life. But unfortunately, Alzheimer's is still incurable. 

Anyways, I’ll leave the link to the article if anyone wants to read it themselves.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/313874.php

Susan Lim Ted Talk

Susan Lim is a medical doctor who specializes in transplants. She's done everything from actual surgeries to extensive research in the field. In this Ted Talk she shares some fascinating and rather emotional anecdotes, talks about the transition effort being made to invest in transplanting specialized cells rather then whole organs, and touches on the moral aspect of organ and cell donors. This is a bit of an extension of the post I did about stem cell research, but obviously Dr. Lim does a much better job explaining them than I could.

Tal Golesworthy Ted Talk

I'm not going to say too much here because I want to let the video speak for itself but I do want to first give a little bit of background. Tal Golesworthy is a boiler engineer who suffers from a genetic condition called Marfan Syndrome. This condition affects the connective tissue of the body, causing significant problems in various places such as bones, joints, eyes, blood vessels, and the heart. A signature symptom of Marfan Syndrome is aortic enlargement. The aorta is the largest blood vessel in the human body, so any kind of problem with it can be potentially fatal, especially one like enlargement, which could literally cause it to burst. This Ted Talk is the story of how Tal Golesworthy fixed his own heart.